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Thought perhaps one or two you may be able to help me out here. Before I was diagnosed, I was on a bit of a health kick and was making an effort to "bulk up" a bit. I'm quite a tall lean guy and wanted just to get a bit more definition and bulk, and was about to start taking protein shakes and do more weights etc. But, then I got diagnosed, knocked me for six a bit, and only really getting back on track now (I still exercised throughout, was a very good distraction to be a bit mindless for a while!).

Anyway, my point is, I'm on meds now and I understand they don't interact well with muscle building supplements. So what other options are there? I'm not too keen on eating loads & loads of steak/chicken/eggs/whatever each day... Maybe I'll just swim loads and hope for the best

I'm not aware of any major supplementation interactions from Atripla, but unless you're hulking out you can probably get most of the protein you need from diet it just means eating a lot of meat or vegetables that're high in protein.

My recommendation would be to eat healthy while working out and cut your cardio to under 40 minutes .

Rigorous cardiovascular exercise over 40 minutes tends to burn muscle as well fat so keeping it at about 30 minutes is probably something to look into , walking briskly on the other hand tends to burn more fat you just have to do it longer .

And as Miss P just said about whey protein ... I use whey protein and it is OK to use with Atripla .

I've used Muscle Milk Protein Powder for at least the last 2 years with no ill side effects, Matter of fact Ive posted very good CD4's during that time (not saying there's a cause and effect, but just sayin').

*Undenatured* whey protein is known to work work better in the body - to support anti-oxidant elevation - than standard whey protein, which is manufactured in a way involving temperatures over 70c which causes it to become denatured.Elevating the antioxidant levels in the body (ie enhance your own body's creation of the antioxidant Glutathione) is especially important for anyone 'HIV+'.

I am in the same boat as the OP, I go to the gym 4 times a week, can press 260 lbs., and have been trying to gain mass but am stuck at 155 (not losing, not gaining). My doc has bared her fangs at me twice insisting that I don't take any protein powder supplements (whey or other) because of the damage it can cause to the liver and kidneys over time. Has anyone else been told this? In the meantime I have started taking a bit of carb powder after workouts to speed recovery.

whey protein is one of the best supps you can take. shes an igorant dr giving you piss poor advice. i hate when dr's dont have a glue about nutirtion and training and give horrible advice.take your shakes. they have no ill effects on your kidneys or liver.

The only way protein shakes can affect your kidneys or liver is if you have kidney failure or you are consuming absolutely gigantic quantities of protein and that will possibly damage your kidneys. People with kidney failure usually need to be careful about not eating too much protein as it stresses the kidneys too. But using a reasonable amount of whey protein as a supplement to help add muscle mass... I can't see how that would cause a problem.

*Disclaimer: I am in no way qualified to dispense medical advice. Do what you want with the information I have provided, I will not be held liable.*

Thanks Odyssey, I am seeing the doc again next week as well as a naturopath this week so I am going to ask a lot more questions about whey protein. I am a bit worried that my creatinine levels are increasing with every test - they are at the top of the normal range now, although I haven't been taking any powder for about 5 months. I am going to get some answers on that too and will share the results here.

I saw my naturopath yesterday and she suggested that 0.75 grams of protein per day per pound is a good level for strength-training athletes so I should cut back on the 150 grams/day that I have eating. More than 0.75 g/lb. can cause elevated creatinine and kidney damage as a result. She also confirmed that elevated creatinine can be caused by heavy exercise as the muscles are damaged and repair themselves. Has anyone heard anything different from this? My goal is to gain some size.

one gram or 1.5 per body weight is MINIMUM for muscle gain and strength gain. it will not hurt your kidneys. again i take 3 shakes a day every day plus all the protein i get from my five meals.naturepath is not who you want to talk to about bulking up.talk to a trainer if you have but a naturepath no way.

one gram or 1.5 per body weight is MINIMUM for muscle gain and strength gain. it will not hurt your kidneys. again i take 3 shakes a day every day plus all the protein i get from my five meals.naturepath is not who you want to talk to about bulking up.talk to a trainer if you have but a naturepath no way.

nope hell raiser. its body weight.or even goal weight if you want to take it one step further. you ll wither away if its lean mass.the rda reccommends your method for sedetary individuals ,our orginal poster wants to bulk up and put muscle on. he needs minimum one gram per body weight.end of story.

nope hell raiser. its body weight.or even goal weight if you want to take it one step further. you ll wither away if its lean mass.the rda reccommends your method for sedetary individuals ,our orginal poster wants to bulk up and put muscle on. he needs minimum one gram per body weight.end of story.

We're obviously reading different sources, but the research I've done has always said calculate your LBM first, then you want to take in 1-1.5g of protein for every pound of LBM. If you utilize the much less accurate Total Body Mass then you consume .75g of protein for every pound. Using 1 or 1.5g for a 150 pound guy would be 150 to 225g of protein to bulk. That is an excessive number by anyone's standards and for the love of god I hope someone taking in that much protein is eating a LOT of fiber.

150 isn't alot at allOne 7 oz steak is 49 grams right thereMost shakes 30 grams per shakeIf one is sedetary yes could be excessiveIf one is a body builder it is bare minimumCheck out body building sitesNot govt who doesn't have a clue sitesSupposed to eat 5 times a dayThsts 30 grams per mealEasy to do

I have been pos for 10 years. I worked out 4-5 days per week before I was diagnosed and was 228 pounds.I have continued 150 grams of protien supplement plus 3-6 meals a day and continued wieght training, but I have gradually lost wieght. Down to 192 pounds now. My doctor said protien was ok, but stay away from creatine maybe because of co-infection with hep-b.All I know is that the protien has not affected my liver. I get liver panels regularly, viral load undetectable, cd-4 650.Good luck bulking up...If you find the secret, let me know. I think some people are just "hard gainers" regardless of any meds or side effects.